Hygea, or Health, after Antique c. 19th century

Curator: Standing before us is Antoine Alexandre Morel’s "Hygea, or Health, after Antique," residing here at the Harvard Art Museums. Doesn’t she just radiate serenity? Editor: It's the cool reserve of neoclassical line work, I think. It feels less like a sculpture and more like a careful reproduction, revealing the engraver's skill in translating form. Curator: Yes, the precision is compelling. The way Morel captures the drape of her robes and the gentle curve of the serpent...it almost feels like he's trying to breathe life back into stone. I find it deeply moving. Editor: I see it more as a testament to the printmaking process itself. The materials, the matrix, the labor involved in disseminating classical ideals through reproducible means. Even the paper has a story to tell. Curator: Perhaps we’re both right. It is the legacy of form meeting the democratization of art. Editor: Precisely. It speaks volumes about the accessibility of art.